Honour Thy Sacrifice
by Colleen17
Summary: This story replaces the ending of Season six's Episode- Isolation. It starts from where Dr Morton, Johnny and Roy return to station 86. The quiet station becomes a station of terror when three men turn up with an injured friend.
1. Chapter 1

Johnny, Roy and Dr Morton continued to work at Station 86. Many of the victims being brought to the station had been injured in the storm. Johnny sat down and cleaned his and Roy's boots while Roy washed their uniforms. Their last rescue had them covered in mud. It was just as well they had a spare uniform each, in the squad.

The engine was called out so Roy and Johnny took over preparing the evening meal. Dr Morton was working on a young girl suffering from asthma. The psychiatrist had gone home. The girl's mother sat talking quietly to her daughter as Dr Morton put her on a breathing treatment. He made his way into the kitchen to get some coffee.

"What's for dinner?" he asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Beef stew" announced Johnny. "I hope you're not vegetarian Doc" he teased with a smile.

"No but I value my stomach. There's no chilli in it?" he asked as he pursued the ingredients.

"No chilli Doc. Just plain old beef stew" informed Roy.

"Well let's not get boring. Where are the herbs?" he asked as he scanned the cupboards.

"Over here Doc" Johnny pointed to a spice rack on the wall.

Dr Morton examined the spices and put a couple aside. He added a teaspoon of each spice to the casserole dish. "That should do it" he happily announced.

"What did you put in there?" asked Johnny with suspicion.

"Oh a little of this and a little of that" Dr Morton answered teasingly.

Johnny raised his eyebrow sceptically. "I sure hope you know what you're doing. It's not just us eating it" Johnny informed Dr Morton. A car could be heard backing into the bay area. Johnny and Dr Morton made their way to the bay area. Roy was washing his hands.

A van with three men sitting in the front was parking, "Hey my buddy needs help" the driver called out.

"I'll set up a bed" Dr Morton told Johnny and headed back to the dorm.

Johnny raced round and looked inside the van. A man was lying on his back holding his leg. He had a long cut on his thigh and had noticeably lost a lot of blood. He also noticed a lot of wet plants lying in the back of the van.

Roy helped Johnny carry the man up the stairs. The two passengers got out helping and the driver followed them into the dorm/makeshift hospital.

"Doc we've got a bad laceration here" Johnny informed Dr Morton.

Dr Morton immediately went to work while Johnny got vitals."Roy can you check on the little girl?" Roy went to check on the girl. "How did this happen?" asked Dr Morton. When there was no answer he looked up at the men expectantly. "Look I need to know incase he needs a tetanus shot" he pushed.

The driver looked at the other two men "Ah it was a blade. We were cutting back some plants and his leg got sliced" the man shrugged his shoulders.

Johnny looked up after taking his BP. The men seemed nervous to him. He passed the doctor some saline solution to wash the leg. He looked over at Roy and gave him a slight nod, with his nod Roy confirmed he had noticed also.

Johnny helped Dr Morton prepare the leg for stitches. "Hope you've got enough Doc?" Johnny looked closely at the cut.

"Yeah, but we'll need to pick up more on our next trip to Rampart" he confirmed.

Over the last couple of years Johnny had learned to respect Dr Morton. When he first met Dr Morton he didn't like his bedside manner, but now appreciated his dry sense of humor. The stitching took a long time. Roy noticed the driver becoming more agitated. "Hey guys, why don't you sit down and relax. They'll be a while" Roy pointed to some chairs in the corner of the room.

Vince Howard casually walked into the make shift hospital and smiled when he saw Roy and Johnny. "I heard there were two hotshot paramedics working out of this station"

"Vince what are you doing here?" asked Roy.

"I live in this area. It's a good way to get away from the city and its peaceful" he answered as he watched the three men sitting over in the corner of the room.

"How long does it take to commute to your precinct?" asked Johnny. The three men looked at each other uncomfortably.

"About an hour, hour and half in traffic. But it's worth it" answered Vince. "You fellows from around here?" asked Vince.

"No we were just visiting and got caught" answered the driver.

"You own that van out there?"

"Yeah what of it?" questioned one of the other men.

"Rear tyre is bald" stated Vince.

"Its our spare, we had a flat couple of days ago."

"Well you'll have another flat if you're not careful" Vince told them.

The lights flickered on and off and then finally went out. "I better get back, the kids will be complaining about no electricity. I'll need to start the generator. Should be one here too" said Vince.

"Yeah its out back" confirmed Roy.

"Any problems, I live just down the road, I've got a two way also. See ya guys"

"Bye Vince" Roy and Johnny said in unison.

Roy went out back to start up the generator. Soon the lights came back on.

When Dr Morton finally finished, the injured man started waking up. He couldn't feel any pain because his leg was still numb. Dr Morton checked his eyes while Johnny took his blood pressure, he was stabilizing. One of the men elbowed the driver. "Ned he's awake...and they've finished sowing him up".

Ned walked up to the bed. "Steve you ready to go" he asked?

"Hang on, this man can't be moved. He's lost a lot of blood and you'll rip his stitches out if you move him" Dr Morton informed him.

"We can't hang around Doc...things to do...besides Steve knows we need to get going" Ned informed the doctor.

"I do not recommend him moving" countered Dr Morton.

"Hang on...just give him a little while. We need to make sure there's no sign of infection. You've waited this long what's another hour?" asked Johnny trying to calm things down.

"Ok one hour, no longer" said Ned. "Joe go check the van?"

"You do know the bridge is out" Roy called out.

Ned looked at Steve. "That's why we've got this make shift hospital" Dr Morton waved his hand around the room.

Ned grabbed the other man and walked outside to the van. Before they could leave Joe yelled "Cop" and ran into the room. Ned pulled a gun from behind his back. He pointed it at Johnny.

"Get rid of him" he ordered Johnny.

"Ok just stay cool" Johnny edged his way to the door giving the gun and Ned a settle down gesture with his hands.

Johnny stepped out into the bay area. "Can I help you Officer" Johnny asked.

The officer looked up and shook Johnny's hand. "Yeah do you know who this van belongs to" he asked?

"Aahh I think it's one of the engine's crew. I'm not normally stationed here, me and my partner got caught here with the bridge out" Johnny shrugged his shoulders.

"You're one of the paramedics helping out" Johnny nodded.

"Like I said my partner and I got caught up here,but we're glad to help" said Johnny.

The officer seemed satisfied and made his way back to his car; Johnny wished he could have warned him about the men. He quickly returned to the dorm. The driver had his gun pointing at Dr Morton. "He's gone" stated Johnny.

"What now" asked Joe?

"Doc her breathing treatment has finished" called Roy.

"You need to let the Doc do his job" Johnny told Ned.

"Ok go...but you come over here" Ned instructed Johnny.

He placed the gun on Johnny's temple. Dr Morton went over to Roy and checked the little girl.

"What are you gonna do when the engine gets back?" asked Roy.

"What are we gonna do Ned?" asked Steve his thigh was starting to come to life with pain.

"We leave" announced Ned.

"What do we do with them? They'll call the cops as soon as we leave" said Steve.

"We tie them up, pull out all the phones" Ned instructed Joe. He pushed Johnny towards Roy, Dr Morton and the mother and daughter. The third man came back with some rope. He tied up Roy. He then went to tie up the mother and daughter. Dr Morton protested.

"You can't tie her up, she's sick" pleaded Dr Morton.

Dr Morton went to stop the man; Johnny saw Ned raise his gun and pushed Dr Morton out of the way. The gun went off and the mother screamed. Johnny dropped to floor.

"Everybody stand still." The mother and daughter were crying, Roy was trying to see Johnny. Dr Morton tried to calm the little girl as she struggled to breathe.

"He's bleeding all over the floor Ned. What are we gonna do now?" asked Joe.

"Why don't you just leave...haven't you done enough damage..." announced Dr Morton

"Doc...don't...you need to stay calm for hers...and Johnny's sake" Roy's calm voice got Dr Morton's attention. "Johnny didn't push you out of the way for nothing...he knew you were needed by these people"

"Ok...ok" Dr Morton calmed down and nodded to Roy, he understood what he was saying.

"Joe get rid of all the phones. Frank finish tying them up...now!" yelled Ned. He opened the door to the bathroom and called to Roy "In here".

Roy sat down under the sink and was tied to the sink's piping. "You ...in here" Ned nodded to Dr Morton. He sat on the other side of the sink and was tied the same way as Roy.

"Pick up your daughter and come over here." Ned pointed to a large cupboard that had linen in it. The mother and daughter sat on the ground inside the cupboard; the doors were shut and locked.

"What about him Ned?" asked Joe.

"Grab the sheet and wrap him up in it and put him into the bathroom out of sight" instructed Ned.

Ned grabbed a mop and cleaned up the blood. When Joe came back from the bathroom, he helped Ned carry there friend back to the van. They all climbed into the van and drove away.

Silence rained over the station. A wind was blowing outside and soon rain was pounding on the roof. The deafening rain drowned out the calls for help.

Johnny was cold, his shivering caused his shoulder to send stabbing pain through his chest. He remembered pushing Dr Morton out of the way and the gunshot. He tried to sit up but his shoulder made it near impossible to move. He realised he was in the bathroom and had no idea how he got there or where the others were. He looked down at his shoulder, there was no exit wound in the front which meant the bullet was still in there. He knew he should stay still but he couldn't just lie there not knowing where the others were. He slowly began to turn.

"Stay still Johnny" Roy called out to him. Johnny looked over and saw Roy and Dr Morton. Despite their protests he crawled across the bathroom floor. He had to rise up onto his knees to get to where the rope had been tied to the pipe. The pain made him breathless and he was worried that the bullet may have penetrated his lung.

"You should be keeping still Gage, that bullet might move and cause more damage" chided Dr Morton.

"I need to get you guys free so you can get this bullet out of me Doc" answered Johnny breathlessly.

Johnny reached back for his pocket knife and thought he was going to pass out before he reached it, from the pain. "Johnny" Roy placed his tied hands on Johnny's chest. Johnny's breathing was coming in short breaths with him moaning with each breath. Using his left hand he slowly cut through the rope. Roy pulled on it and when Johnny was three quarters of the way through, it snapped. Johnny dropped the knife and took one last breath and fell into Roy's arms.


	2. Chapter 2

"He's hardly breathing Doc" Roy gently laid Johnny down and grabbed the pocket knife to cut Dr Morton free.

Officer Baker made his way down to Vince Howard's house. Vince had called in about some suspicious characters at the fire station. After having called into the station before talking to Vince, everything seemed fine to him, but he knew Vince was a veteran police officer and deserved his respect to be taken seriously.

It was pouring rain and the wind had picked up. Further down the road power lines were down which meant the neighbourhood would be without electricity for some time. Officer Baker pulled into Vince's driveway and ran to his front door. Vince opened the door and ushered him in quickly.

"Hello Vince...ma am...I called into the fire station on the way here and spoke to one of the paramedics. He seemed fine and all was quiet at the station." Officer Baker gratefully accepted a cup of coffee from Mrs Howard.

"Which paramedic did you speak to?" asked Vince as he still had an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Um...he had dark hair, tall, slim, very friendly".

"That was Johnny Gage. Did you see anyone else?" Vince asked thinking Roy would have been not too far away.

"No...Like I said it all seemed quiet." Officer Baker looked at Vince not quite understanding why he was so concerned.

Roy ran from the bathroom to the dorm to get some oxygen. He noticed that the tank was almost empty. He also scanned the room for the mother and child; they were nowhere to be seen.

"Here's the oxygen...Doc it's almost empty...I'll need to get a new tank from the squad." Roy said with concern.

"Roy we need to move him into there and I need to properly check him out. I think I may need to put a chest tube in" Dr Morton knew this was serious, he had seen foaming blood in Johnny's mouth. They quickly moved Johnny to a bed.

Dr Morton listened to Johnny's lungs. "Diminished breaths in his right. Either the bullets nicked the lung or it's penetrated it. I need to put in a chest tube to help him breath." Dr Morton pulled out the necessary equipment. Roy gathered all the vitals and started an IV.

They heard banging on a cupboard door. Roy ran over to the cupboard and opened it. The mother and child looked up at Roy and sighed with relief. Roy was somewhat relieved that they were ok also.

"How is she?" Roy asked.

"She's alright, I think I'm going to take her home and put her in her own bed. Thank you for helping us. I hope your friend will be ok. I'll call the police as soon as I get home, that's if the phone is working" she held her daughter close and made their way out to their car parked out back. All she wanted to do was get away from the station. Roy reluctantly let them go, but he was worried the men may come back, so her leaving and getting safely home was a better option.

He ran back to Dr Morton and took a new set of vitals. Dr Morton inserted the chest tube and was pleased with what he heard once he listened to Johnny's lung. "It's better for now but we need to get that bullet out. Infection is Johnny's biggest enemy at the moment, without a spleen he'll need antibiotics. I don't have what he needs." Dr Morton continued to monitor Johnny's breathing.

"Rampart this is rescue 51...Rampart rescue 51..." Roy waited for a response.

"Resc..." the line went dead.

"Rampart do you read...Rampart this is Rescue 51 How do you read?" Roy checked the biophone "The battery's dead. We have a spare in the squad. I'll go get it and I'll call this in. I'll get despatch to arrange for a helicopter" Roy ran from the room.

"So everything seemed fine to you" asked Vince again, he was not convinced that the men at the station were on the up and up. "Did you at least see the men I was talking about?"

"No I was talking to...Johnny?...in the part where the fire engine is usually parked. How they would park it in there with that van parked there I don't know. It would be a tight squeeze."

"I guess they parked there after the engine left on a call" Vince said still thinking about the behaviour of the three men. They were definitely nervous and became even more so when he mentioned the van.

"Hang on this Johnny said that the van belonged to one of the fireman."

Vince looked at Baker frowning "What? It belonged to the men I called about. I questioned them about the bald tyre and they said they had had a flat and it was a spare. You sure Johnny said the van belonged to a fireman" asked Vince?

"Yes he definitely said it belonged to one of the engine crew...in fact he said he didn't know which one because he and his partner were not normally stationed there" said Baker.

"Something's not right...I think we need to go back there" said Vince with concern for his friends. A loud crack of thunder made them all jump and the rain was coming down so hard Officer Baker knew he wouldn't make it to his car without getting soaked.

"Maybe we should call this in first and get some reinforcements, although we're spread pretty thin with the entire cleanup." Officer Baker wasn't sure if just he and Vince would be able to help the people at the fire station without some help.

"What happened?" Dr Brackett asked Dixie.

"The line went dead" Dixie looked concerned because she knew how isolated squad 51 was.

"Who was it?" asked Dr Brackett seeing how concerned Dixie was.

"Squad 51...Kel they're really isolated up there. What if they need help." She asked?

"Mike's with them, he'll handle things. No doubt it was just the battery. We should hear from them soon" Dr Brackett was trying to convince Dixie as well as himself; that everything was going to be ok. His mouth twitched as an uneasy feeling cloaked him. He knew both he and Dixie would not feel relaxed until Johnny or Roy contacted them.

Roy ran back into the dorm "The squads been trashed Doc. The radio, our HT's, the tyres all destroyed or missing."

"What about the battery" but from the look on Roy's face he knew the news was not good.


	3. Chapter 3

"The battery's gone...we're cut off until the engine gets back" Roy looked down at his partner, who was deathly pale with a slight tinge of blue around his lips.

"Set up" Dr Morton was cut off by the frantic call from the bay area.

"Help...someone help please" a male voice in distress was calling. Roy ran to the door and saw a man trying to carry his wife, who was unconscious. Roy helped the man into the dorm and laid his wife down on a bed. Dr Morton checked her while Roy quickly took her vitals.

"What happened to her?" Dr Morton asked looking closely at a laceration on the side of her head. Roy went back over to Johnny to check on his breathing. The tank was almost empty.

"Doc I've got to get a refill" Roy said as he started to run from the dorm.

"Hey you're here to look after us, we come first. You stay here and help him. My wife needs your attention now" the annoyed husband yelled at Roy. He could see that it was a fireman lying on the bed, by his blue shirt that was still half on him. He didn't see the blood on his back as Johnny was lying on his side with his back facing the wall.

Roy stopped and looked at Dr Morton and left the dorm to get another oxygen tank. Sure the public comes first but he wasn't about to let his partner die because someone decided they were more important than Johnny. Roy thought how the public took the motto 'We're here to serve the public' to the extreme.

Roy changed over Johnny's tank and then took a new set of vitals. He then started to help Dr Morton and in the process told the Doc Johnny's vitals. "He feels a bit warm too" Roy told him, his face etched with worry. Infection was already starting to take hold of Johnny's body, without antibiotics he knew Dr Morton would have no choice but to remove the bullet. These were not ideal conditions but under the circumstances the alternative was not an option.

Vince Howard raised the police station on his two-way. He was told no one was available to help as there had been trees falling all over the area and they were busy putting up warnings for blocked roads. The small police station was stretched to its limits. They were able to tell Vince that the van may be a van that had been seen earlier, and it was reported that the occupants were acting suspiciously. Vince was convinced that these were the same men and that they needed to get back to the fire station.

Vince and Officer Baker devised a plan. They didn't want to walk into a situation and be the cause of someone getting hurt. They decided to take Vince's car and approach the station cautiously. If they needed to radio in they could use the Fire station's radio he thought, not knowing that it had been destroyed.

"Still no word" asked a concerned Dr Brackett. His mouth twitched, they had run out of ideas. Despatch had been unable to contact the station or the squad. The engine was unable to check on the fire station as they were in the middle of removing downed trees from people's homes.

"I don't like it Kel. I can't shake this feeling that something is very wrong. There was something about Roy's voice." Dixie knew her paramedics and she recognised the worry in Roy's voice. "Do you think we should send a helicopter up there and resupply them as well as check them out" she asked desperately?

"I don't know Dix...how do you justify sending an air ambulance up there just to replenish supplies that haven't been asked for" Dr Brackett said dejectedly. He was at a loss as to what to do next.

"This is Mike, Roy and Johnny we're talking about Kel" she chided him, knowing she was being unreasonable but she was dreadfully worried.

"Don't you think I know that...but I can't abuse the Fire Departments resources...It wouldn't be right" Dr Brackett sighed, he too was very worried about his friends.

Dr Morton cleaned the laceration on the woman's head. Roy put her leg in a splint and continued to assist Dr Morton until he was told to check on Johnny. He found his partner awake and breathing in short shallow breaths.

"Roy" he whispered breathlessly.

"Hey Johnny, how do you feel" asked Roy.

"My chest hurts Roy" Johnny looked at Roy and knew something was very wrong. "Where's Doc? Is he alright?" he couldn't see Dr Morton.

"He's fine Johnny...He's just helping another patient" Roy frowned; he didn't know how to tell Johnny that they were completely cut off.

"When will the helicopter get here" innocently asked Johnny. He felt hot, tired and light headed. Each breath he took didn't seem to draw enough oxygen into his lungs. Roy sat down next to Johnny so that he was eye level with him.

"Johnny there's something I need to tell you".

"We have to go back Ned. My leg is bleeding again. I don't want to die out here in these backwoods" Steve pleaded. Bumping around in the van had been too much for him and had subsequently split some of the stitches. His leg was throbbing and bleeding continuously. The loss of blood was causing his head to swim.

"What if the engines back, they'll be onto us" yelled Ned. The storm and the downed trees that had caused road blocks were frustrating him; it felt like he was driving in circles.

"Look there's the engine, by the looks of it they'll be tied up for hours" exclaimed Joe.

"Ok...we go back...we'll hide the van and get that doctor to fix Steve." Ned turned the van around and headed back to the fire station.

"Johnny before they left they destroyed the station's radio, the phones and the squads radio." Roy explained.

"W wwhat about the biophone" asked Johnny?

"It's dead and the spare battery and the HT's are gone. The squad has four flats so I can't even drive anywhere." Roy threw up his hands.

"Roy you need...you..." Johnny was finding it very hard to talk "Vince...Roy...Vince" Johnny struggled to breathe.

"Doc, Johnny's struggling...you need to do something...Johnny...Johnny hold on" Roy looked into Johnny's eyes trying desperately to get his partner to keep fighting. It didn't register what Johnny had been trying to remind Roy; that Vince had a two way radio.

"We need to insert an oesophageal airway" Dr Morton said with urgency. He gave Johnny a light sedative and went to work. "It's in and sounds good" he said satisfied with the results. "Take his temp Roy and new set of vitals" Dr Morton rushed back to the woman and finished up stitching her head. "If you can sit with her sir and call out if anything changes, her breathing or if she starts to wake up" Dr Morton instructed her husband and turned to go back to Johnny.

"Hey wait a minute...You should stay and watch her, not me. It's your job, you're the doctor" stated the annoyed husband.

"My job sir is to save lives...and right now that man's life depends on whether I am able to remove a bullet from his back" Dr Morton abruptly turned and went back to Johnny's side.

Roy looked up and said "Vince" Dr Morton looked at Roy "Johnny was trying to tell me" he looked down at his partner "Vince told us he had a two way radio" Roy said with excitement.

"He said he was only down the road" added Dr Morton. "Hey" Dr Morton called for the husband's attention "We need to get a helicopter to take your wife and this man to the hospital. All our radios are out but there's one down the road. Can he use your car" Dr Morton asked?

"Yeah, how far" asked the husband?

"It's not far, just down the road. Vince Howard owns a two way" Roy told the man with desperation in his voice.

"I know Vince, ok here" he threw the keys to Roy.

Roy caught the keys and sighed with relief "Hang in there Junior" he looked at Dr Morton "I'll be back as soon as I can" Roy said as he ran from the dorm.

Four men lurked around the back of the station looking for a way in; wanting to take whoever was inside by surprise. They had heard the voices and saw the car parked in the bay area. They then heard the car start up and back out of the station and drive away.

"Everyone freeze" yelled Ned as he pointed his gun into the dorm. "Nobody move and no one else gets hurt."

Dr Morton groaned with disbelief; they were back.


	4. Chapter 4

Roy drove the car down the street and saw a house with a police car parked in the drive, the two way radio aerial could be clearly seen from the roof. He parked in the street and made a run for the front door.

Vince and Officer Baker drove up the street towards the Fire station, not noticing Roy in the blue car pass them. They were running over how to approach the men in case they were armed. They knew that for some reason Johnny had lied to Baker to get him to leave. They had to assume that Roy or Dr Morton were being threatened in some way and by a weapon was the most likely scenario.

They parked behind the squad and closed the doors as quietly as they could; the rain was drowning out most of the noise they made anyway.

"There's two ways into the dorm, from the bay area and from the back. We should approach from both" Vince instructed. He readied his gun; checking it was fully loaded.

"Agreed" replied Officer Baker who too checked his gun.

"I'll take the back" stated Vince and he headed around the back of the station.

"Dix get a surgical kit and some IV supplies, sutures, our spare biophone and leg and arm splints. I just got off the phone to despatch. Apparently Vince Howard lives down the road from the station and has been in contact with the local authorities. He was concerned that no one has been able to contact the station for some time and that some suspicious characters were at the station when he called in earlier today" Dr Brackett told her as he grabbed some necessary items. "Their sending a helicopter here to transport me to the station" He informed her.

"I'm coming with you" Dixie told Dr Brackett in her firmest manner.

"I wouldn't have it any other way" answered Dr Brackett smiling; knowing that Dixie would be coming before she said it. They both busied themselves getting everything together and went out to meet the helicopter.

Joe tied the husband's hands to the chair. He and Frank left to get Steve from their van.

"Hold it right there, nice and easy, put your hands where I can see them." Both men looked over their shoulders and saw Vince standing with a gun pointing at them. "You with the blue jacket put this on your wrist" Vince threw the handcuffs at Frank. "Now put the other around your friend's wrist. You boys been doing some gardening...nice collection of plants there...I know a few detectives who would like to talk to you guys" Vince informed them. He had already inspected the van and discovered an unconscious man and a load of marijuana plants.

Vince marched Frank and Joe into the station and locked them in small room that had spare equipment stored. He then slowly made his way to the dorm. He heard Officer Baker's voice call out "Hold it police"

Roy knocked on Vince Howard's front door. Mrs Howard answered and was taken aback by the soaking wet paramedic.

"I need to talk to Vince urgently" he told her.

"He's gone to the Fire station with a local officer" she informed him ushering him into her home.

"All our lines of communication are cut off, I need to use Vince's two way" he told her with urgency. "We have two patients who need to be transported to Rampart urgently".

"Of course, it's back here" she guided him to a study. While Roy was getting the local police to arrange for a helicopter Mrs Howard brought a towel and some coffee for him.

"Drop the gun or I'll shoot" Ned was pointing the gun at Dr Morton who was standing in a protective stance in front of Johnny.

Officer Baker saw movement in the corner of his eye; Vince was slowly making his way to the doorway. "Just take it easy. Don't do anything you'll regret" said Baker calming the agitated man in front of him. He stepped to the side so that Ned would have his back to Vince.

Vince slowly made his way into the room and before Officer Baker let go of his gun Vince pointed his gun into the back of Ned and told him to drop the gun. Baker had reacted instantly and was again aiming his gun at Ned. Ned dropped his gun; Vince kicked it over to Baker and told Ned to lie face down on the floor. Officer Baker handcuffed him and led him down to the same cupboard Frank and Joe were locked in.

Dr Morton immediately turned around and checked Johnny. He checked Johnny's temperature and took his blood pressure. He needed to act fast and get the bullet out. He told Vince quickly that Roy had gone to his place to call for a helicopter because Ned and his friends had destroyed all their lines of communication. Vince told Dr Morton that there was a man unconscious in the van and that his leg was bleeding.

"Can you bring him in and lay him on the bed. I need to take care of Johnny first. I've got to get this bullet out."

Dr Morton, although a very confident doctor, wished that Dr Brackett, his mentor was by his side. He took a deep breath and went to work. Probing for the bullet wasn't as difficult as he thought it was going to be. He found the bullet quickly because it wasn't very deep. Once he got it out he flushed and packed the wound, knowing more investigating would need to be done. Something caused Johnny's lung to collapse, he suspected a bone fragment from one of Johnny's ribs had done the damage.

Roy entered the dorm just as Dr Morton finished up. Roy sighed with relief when he saw Dr Morton holding up the bullet with a smile on his face. "He's not out of the woods but this will buy him some time" Dr Morton said happily.

"Helicopter's on its way with Dr Brackett and Dixie on board." Roy informed him "Not that you needed their help" Roy said smiling.

"Well I'm hungry; let's have some of that stew Roy. They'll be none for you my friend but I promise to make you some as soon as you're better" Dr Morton told his sleeping patient.

Steve was taken care of and taken back to the local police station with his friends. Vince filled Roy and Dr Morton in on what the men had been up to "Looks like they were retrieving a crop of marijuana plants before the river broke its banks."

Roy and Dr Morton had just finished their stew when the helicopter landed. They went out to meet their friends and help them carry everything in. Both Dr Brackett and Dixie looked relieved when they saw them walking over. Dr Morton immediately filled Dr Brackett in on what he had done.

"His temperature has come down significantly, but his breathing is still laboured' he told Brackett, waiting anxiously for his approval of his treatment.

"I suspect you're right Mike about the bone fragment. We'll need to x-ray to be totally sure. You've done a good job Mike under difficult circumstances." Dr Morton nodded but was smiling inside and felt a deep satisfaction that he had been able to save a friend using the skills he had worked hard to gain over the last six years.

Roy smiled, remembering a time when Johnny cringed when he heard Dr Morton's name. Johnny and the woman were loaded onto the helicopter. Roy and Dr Morton stayed behind, hoping to be heading home in a day or so.

It was as both doctors had suspected; a bone fragment from Johnny's rib had pierced his lung causing it to collapse. Dr Brackett removed the bone fragment and repaired the lung. Strong antibiotics were administered.

Late the next day Johnny opened his eyes. A nurse told him he was in Rampart hospital and that she was going to get the doctor. Johnny's foggy mind started to clear as he remembered what had happened at station 86.

"Johnny, are you in pain" asked Dr Brackett?

"A little, Doc where's Roy and Dr Morton" Johnny asked, needing to know they were alright?

"They're still at station 86, they'll be back tomorrow. Mike told me what you did. Thank you my friend. Sacrificing yourself like that took a lot of courage. Now rest." Dr Brackett inserted the pain medication, Johnny's eyes slowly closed and he drifted off to sleep.

Next time Johnny woke, Roy, Dr Morton, Vince and Dr Brackett were standing around his bed. He smiled at his friends and was glad to see everyone was ok.

"How are you feeling Gage" asked Dr Morton?

"Good thanks to you" he answered with his crooked grin. Dr Morton slapped him on the shoulder and declared that he had to go back to work.

"Oh and John...I owe you a meal...so when you're up to it...the stew's on me" he left the room chuckling.

"The stew was good...you'll like it" Roy informed him. Johnny looked at Roy a little confused but knew it would all come back to him once he was able to think about the days at station 86, clearly.

"I just wanted to see how you were. Roy will fill you in on those guys. Bye Johnny" Vince patted Johnny's leg and left.

"No one else got hurt" asked Johnny.

"No...just you. That was a very noble thing you did Johnny. I don't know if I would have done the same thing if I was in your shoes." Roy told his partner with admiration.

"I think you would have tried to protect the Doc, knowing how important he was." Johnny looked at Roy all knowing.

"I don't know" Roy said unconvinced.

"Maybe you wouldn't have stepped in front of the bullet Roy, but I'm sure you would have tried to do something" Dr Brackett reassured him.

"I think Johnny deserves a medal" Roy stated.

"So do I and I'm going to recommend him for one. You hose jockeys don't get enough recognition and I aim to change that" Dr Brackett stated firmly and waved goodbye, not giving Johnny a chance to object.

Both partners smiled at each other, both grateful to be alive and for having such good friends.


End file.
